Before getting on task,let me say that,though it is certainly NOT what you would call "love",Sharapova and Ivanovic--especially Ana--have captivated my imagination with their rare beauty.Not only are they tantalizingly tall,but they possess those wonderful womanly curves unlike the majority of disgustingly-bony models and actresses.There are also some lesser-known ladies such as Kaia Kanepi who fill out their blue jeans in awesome fashion.While it's disappointing to see Maria and Ana lose,there's something strangely arousing about watching Venus easily ball up these super six-footers like they were putty in her hands.Anyway...
One of the social plagues of North America--mainly Mexico,Canada,and the U.S.--is that they allow SENTIMENT to control their decisions instead of common sense.They would whine that it's 'mean' and 'unfair' to not treat both genders the same in terms of prize money--REGARDLESS of other issues.This is shallow and pathetic since NO ONE complains when female swimsuit queens(justifiably)earn more than their male counterparts,nor do WNBA players deserve the same salaries as NBAers.In the case of tennis,however,the evidence indicates that Maria,the Williams girls,Nicole,etc. bring a LOT more attention,AND fans,to the sport than Federer or Nadal do despite their excellent skills.Therefore,based on MERIT ALONE,I agree with awarding equal prize money at the Slams--and you could even make a case for giving the ladies MORE. --BG